Carriage-actuating mechanism



(No Model.) Y ZSheets-Sh'eet 1. W. H. PHILLIPS.A

CARRIAGE AGTUATING MBGHANISM.

Patented Dec. 8, 1891.

fins/71.

. car, partly in section.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

VILLIAM II. PHILLIPS, OF J ENKINTVN, AVSSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, ARTI-IIN GTON GILPIN, AND PAUL W'. KNAUFF, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ARRIAGE-ACTUATING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 464,587, dated. December 8, 1891.

Application filed February 2 1891. Serial No. 379,889. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. PHILLIPS, of Jenkintown, county of Montgomery, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Carriage-Actuating Mechanism, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speciiication.

My invention relates to mechanism for actuating and automatically controlling the movement of a car, or, indeed, any wheel or floating carriage, and particularly it is designed for actuating a light railway-car adapted to be held at the rear en d of the train and to be propelled backward with respectto said train when desired, so as to take the place of the brakeman who is sent back to guard the rear end of a railway-train.

The nature .and mode of operation of my invention will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings, in which I have illustrated it in what I believe to be its most convenient and desirable form, and in Which Figure l is a side elevation of a signal-car carried beneath the rear plat-form of a passenger-car; Fig. 2, a similar view showing the way in which the signal-car is dropped upon the railway-track when it is desired to send it back along the track. Fig. is a sectional side elevation of the car, taken on the line 1. 2 of Fig. 4t. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the electric connections with my preferred mode of construction, and Fig. 6 a cross-sectional view on the line 3l 4 of Fig. 4.-.

A is the rear platform of a railway-car, to the bottom of which are secured two sets of hooks A and A2. The hooks A are fixed, and the hooks A2, which are nearest the end of the car, are pivoted at A3, provided with a sprin g A4, which normally holds them up in the position shown in Fig. l, and a latch A5, which engages a heel extension of the pivoted hook and holds it up as long as the latch remains engaged.

C is the signal-car provided with wheels adapted to rest and run upon the track B and having iron staples C and C2, placed so as to engage the hooks A and A2. The height of t-he staples above the track when the car is resting thereon is such that they will come above the points of the hooks A and A2, and the impetus of the car (supposing it to be running backward toward the train) will cause it to run up the incline face of the hooks until it is lifted from the track and held in the position shown in Fig. l.

Referring next to the electric connections, 6o (which are best illustrated in Fig. 5,) I place upon the train, preferably in the locomotive,

a dynamo L, from which extends a circuitwire F2, which is thrown into connection with a circuit F2, extending through the train by means of a pivoted switch J. This switchlever- J is connected to the circuit-wire F2 through an electro-magnet I, and when the end of the switch is brought in contact with the stop K atA the end of the circuit F2 the 7o switch is within the magnetic field of the magnet and is held in contact with the post K until the current is broken. The spring J is provided to normally draw the switch away from post K and throw its end against a bell- 7 5 stop M, the result of this arrangement being that when the current is broken in the circuit-wire the switch J will leave its contact with the post K and will strike against the bell-stop M, thus giving an audible notice of 8o the breaking of the circuit. In the circuitwire F2, I'I H, dac., indicate couplings between cars, and Gr G, thc., electro-magnets which are placed in the circuit beneath the platforms of the cars and close to thelatches A5, which hold the hooks A2 in position. (See Figs. l and 2.) Referring to these figures, it will be seen that when a current is passing fromv the wire F2 through magnet G to the wire F the latch A5 will be attracted by the magnet and 9o drawn back, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to disengage the hook A2. The weight of the car dependent on the said hook will then draw it down, as shown in said figure,permitting the ucar to rest upon the track B in readiness to travel backward with respect to the train.

The wire F', which is a continuation of the wire F2, is coupled to a wire cable F, which cable is wound upon a drum D, carried upon the car C. In my preferred construction this roo drum D is secured to an axle, which is loosely journal ed in bearings on the car and to which axle a ratchet-wheel D', Figs. 4 and 6, is iirmly secured. Adjacent to this ratchet-wheel is a sprocket-wheel D, turning freely on the axle of the drum D and having an extension D3, which supports a pawl D2 in engagement with the ratehetD. The sprocketwheel D4 is, by means of a drive-chain S', engaged with an axle of the car, (see 'l and 2,) and the effect of the arrangement above described is that when the car is running backward with respect to the train the drum D will turn freely, permitting the cable F to unwind and lay along the track as the car moves backward. Vhen, however, the motion oli' the car is reversed, the drum is directly driven from the axle of they ear through the chain S', sprocket-wheel D", pawl D2, and ratchet D', the pawl then engaging the rate-het and of course causing the drum to turn with the sprocketwheel. In this way the cable is picked up from the track andrewound upon the drum as the ca-r moves backward toward the train. The cable F is electrically connected with the hub D5, (see Fig. 4,) which is in contact with a connection or brush N, said brush being in turn connected with a circuit-wire F4.

Upon the carriage C is secured a motor, which is engaged with an axle or axles of the car so as to drive them, and which motor or parts of it are so connected with the circuitwire supported on the car that` the `passage of a current through said circuit in one direction will cause the motor to move the car backward, in the other direction will cause the motor to move the car forward, while the interruption of the current will arrest the motion of the motor. This connection may be made in various well-known ways, the most convenient of which, however, will, I believe, be that illustrated in my drawings and which I will hereinafter describe.

A Very important part of my device is the switch by which the current is interrupted and reversed and its connection with the motor or parts actuated thereby in such a way that the interruption and reversal ot' the eircuit will take place for a certain determined :number of revolutions ot' the motor or of the car-wheels, so that when the circuit-wires above described are thrown in connection with the 4dynamo the car will travel backward for a determined distance, then automatically break the circuit and move the switch so as to reverse the circuit connections, so that when the dynamo is again thrown into connection the motor will be actuated in the reverse direction, causing the car to move backward until it hooks itself up beneath the platform of the passenger-car; and another important practical detail consists in providing a spring-actuated brake which will normally press against the wheel or wheels of the signal-car and combining with it an electro-magnet situated in the circuit and which, when the current is passing, will draw the brake away from lthe wheel, permitting the spring to return it to contact therewith as soon as the current is interrupted.

Referring now again to the drawings, which illustrate my preferred construction, it will be seen that the wire FV1 is in electrical connection with the lield O of an electric motor, passing through which it connects by wire F5 with the switch T U. This switch consists of two pivotcd levers T and T', pivoted and movement of the switch-levers T and T' downward, so that switch T will rest on stop U' and switch T' upon stop U2, will reverse the current passing from the connections described from wire F5 to wire F9, the current heilig, however, broken before theconnections are reversed.

The armature I of the motor drives a shaft Q, which in the plan shown is provided with a worm-gear Q2, engaging with a worm-wheel S on the axle of the cai-C. The shaft Q also carries a worm Q', which engages with and drives a wheel R, said wheel having stop-pins R' and R2, secured upon its side, and a lever R3, secured upon its axle and extending between the stop-pins. The lever R3 is connected with the switch-levers T and T' by means of a rod R4, and it will be seen that as the shaft Q revolves the wheel R will gradually turn until its pin R' comes in contact with the lever R2, pressing it down andcausing the switch-levers T and T' to also move downward until they break contact with the stops U and U', upon which they rest. The weight oi the switch-levers and lever R2 will then cause the switch-levers to comeinto contact with the stops U' and U2, thus reversing the connection. The breaking of the current, however, previous to the reversal oi the connection causes the electro-magnet I to release the switclrlever J, which flies back into contact with the bell-stop M.,breaking the circuit extending to the dynamo and giving audible notice to the engineer of the fact. At the same time the motion of the mot-or is arrested andthe spring-brake V2 applied to t-he periphery of the Wheel of car C. This last braking operation has been already referred to, and by examining the drawings 'it will be seen that the brake V2 is held in contact.

with the wheel by the action of a spring V2. f

A lever V', attached to the brake, extends beneath the poles of an electro-magnet V,

'which is situated between the parts F" and Fl of the circuit-wire. As long as the current is passing through the wire, the magnet V, acting through the lever V', will'overcome the force of spring V3 and hold the brake away from the wheel of the car; but as soon as the current is `interrupted the spring will force the brake down against the car-wheel.

It will be seen that as soon as the engineer IOO IIO

again moves the switch J to connect the circuit-wires F3 and F2 the circuit will be again restored, but the direction of the current through the switch and motor will be reversed, so that the motor will be actuated in the opposite direction to that in which it was first moved and will cause the car to return to the point from which it originally started. The arrangement of the pin R2 is such that at or immediately before the time when the car is picked up on the hooks A' and A2 it will lift the lever Ron the switch-levers T and T', thus again breaking the circuit and restoring the original contact between the switch-levers T and T and the stops U and U'.

E is a loosely-journaled roller or drum under which wire F passes from drum D; C3, a lantern at the front of the car C, and on the axle (see Figs. 3 and 4) I have shown a bell attached, which, turning with the axle, rings and gives an audible signal of the approach of the carriage.

Having now described my invention, wha I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv

1. The combination, with an electric generator and a circuit leading therefrom, ofv a switch J, normally held open, an electrornagnet I, arranged in the circuit to hold the switch closed, al car C or its equivalent, a drum D, carried on said car, a conduit-wire F, wound on said drum and electrically connected with a wire F4L on the car and with the circuit from the generatoig'a motor carried on the car and 'geared to drive the same, a switch connected with wire F4 and with the motor, said switch being adjustable, so as to reverse the current in the motor connection, and gearing actuated by the motor and connected with the switch to break the circuit and reverse the switch after the motor has made a determined number ot' revolutions. I

2. The combination, with an electric generator and a circuit leading therefrom, of a switch J, normally held open, an electro-magnet I, arranged in the circuit to hold the switch closed, a bell-stop M, arranged opposite said electro-magnet, a car C or its equivalent, a drum D, carried on said car, a conduit-wire F, wound on said drum and electrically connected with a wire F4 on the car and with the circuit from the generator, a motor carried on the car and geared to drive the same, a switch connected with wire F4 and with the motor, said switch being adjustable, so as to reverse the current in the motor connection, and gearing actuated by the motor and connected with the switch to break the circuit and reverse the switch after the motor has lnade a` determined number of revolutions.

3. Acar A, havingat its ends ahook orhooks A and a pivoted hook or hooks A2, arranged to engage and hold a car, as C, in combination 'with a latch A5, arranged to hold the pivoted hook, an electro-magnet G, arranged to draw the latch when a current passes through it,

and a spring, as A4, arranged to hold the pivoted latch u p, all substantially as and for the equivalent, of an electric motor geared to y drive said car, a circuit connecting with the motor, a switch arranged to break and reverse the current in the motor, and gearing actuated by the motor and connected with the switch, as described, so as to break and reverse the current at a given time.

5. The combination, with a car C or its equivalent, of an electric motor geared to drive said car, a circuit connecting with the' motor, a spring-brake arranged to act upon the wheels of the carriage, an electro-magnet situated in the circuit and arranged to withdraw the brake from the wheels, a' switch arranged to break and reverse the current in the motor, and gearing actuated by the motor and connected with the switch, as described, so as to break and reverse the current at a given time.

6. The combination, with an electric gen` erator and a circuit leading therefrom, of a switch J, normally held open, an electro-magnet I, arranged in the circuit to hold the switch closed, a car or its equivalent, a drum D, carried on said car, a conduit-wire F, wound on said drum and electrically connected with a wire F4 on the car and with the circuit from the generator, a switch in the wire circuit of the car arranged to break the circuit and reverse its connection, and gearing, as described, connected with the car-wheels and the switch, whereby the switch is moved, the current broken, and connections reversed after a determined numberot wheel revolutions.

7. In combination with a car C, having a motor geared to its driving-wheels, an electric circuit and means forbreaking and reversing the circuit, as described, a loosely-journaled drum D, having secured on its axlearatchetwheel D', a sprocket-wheel D4, loosely journaled on said axle and provided with a pawl D2, arranged to engage the ratchet, and a drivechain S', connecting the driving-axle of the car with wheel D4, all substantially as described, and so that the drum will be positively driven when the car is running backward.

IOO

IIO

8. The combination, with a car C, havinga Y motor, and controlling electric circuit, as de- WILLIAM n. PHrLLiPs. ,y

Witnesses:

GEORGE HOUSE, JOSHUA MATLACK, Jr. 

